Nevada County picayune., 1887-02-16
AGRICULTURAL.
The inventors in Agriculture.

The CCHultlOhS or the NtltHiN 't countries have undurgoue very great changes during the last fifty years. Up to a comparatively re- cent period, it was almost an nXIom of political economy that the lar mers were rrolurers of the true wealth uf region. They worked mine that was iNcXllausilbit II proper treatment was awarded IL. If the soil hecamc spent, T waS ni- terprrted as q sign of faulty a2rl- culture. Properly treated. the sam land could bp used, year m and year out. and would weld a constant return for labor expended and capital invested. The coal miner works unt Il deposit ot coal and ahnndonS the region, after cumbcriu2 many acres with heaps of culnl. The molallurgist builds his furnaces near the the source oi supplies. to be abandoned when these fail. But the farmer, by his permanence of l0calion. and by his improving instead of eXhanst' ing the land, seemed the founder of a country's prosperity. ltis true that, in some instances, particular ly where subjected to a heavy strain upon it's mineral constituents by successive crops of our cereals or tobacco, land became exhausted. Modern science with improved systems of fertilizing and prescrlp- ton of rotation of crops, endeav- pred, with much success, 10 over come this trouble.
 fine agriculturst was thus ad- vanced ii his efforts by the chem ist and took step forward toward d more scientific treatment of his materials. Concideht with, or a little ill advance of, this epoch, the mechanical inventor appeared on the scene, and invented machinery which enabled horses to do the work of men. From the reaping hook to the cradle was an impOr tant step. It multiplied greatly the labor of man. From the era dle to the reaper, from the pitch fork to the unloading machinery, from hand labor to self-binder, from the fail to the threshiEg ma. chine, were still greater ones, as they did away with directly ap- piled human labor. These inyen- tions mark revolution in farm. ing.
 The farmer or his labOrers to- day do not one hundreth of the actual work. Steam or horse driven machinery are the agents. Tie farm is converted into facto- ry. Grain is sowed and fertilizers are distributed by machines. Im- proved cultivators are used in treating growing crops. After harvesting by power, threshing machines are substituted for the old time fails. The farming of if ty years ago is becoming lost art.
 To great extent, the farmer is deposed from his position as the principal producer of regions wealth. This honor must be shar- ed by others. The chemist has had hls part in the change, but the honor stands above all in this. To him the new condition is principal ly due. As the result ofhi work. the United States maintain numer- ous factories devoted entirely to the production of agricultural machinery. Every city and viii lage have stores devoted to their sale. The farmer directs the opera tions of the machinery when com pleted, just as the engineer of a steamer superintends the running of the engine. It would be as truthful or logical to call the marine engineer the developer of commerce as to claim for the far mer the title of sole producer. In his work he has partners. With ont the great agricultural imple- ment works, he could do nothing. They, as well as he, are agents in production. The inventor who directs and plans the factories work is also partner, and is an actual producer. He may not make two blades of grass grow where formerly there Was but one, but he has changed another ratio for the better He has made the actual labor of man far more eff ficient than before. The soil may produce no more, but the labor Of those tilling 1t is many times more productive.
 The future political economist should pay regard to the new order of things. The influence of the in- ventor has been particularly great in the field of agriculture. It has done away with the customs of many centuries; ii has converted the farmer into superintendent or engineer, and raised him from